2017 Technical Memorandum Regarding the Accounting of San Joaquin River Spring-run Chinook Salmon at the Central Valley Project and State Water Project Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Fish Collection Facilities

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | January 15th, 2017

2018 Technical Memorandum Regarding the Accounting of San Joaquin River Spring-run Chinook Salmon at the Central Valley Project and State Water Project Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Fish Collection Facilities

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | January 15th, 2018

2019 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 1st, 2019

On November 7, 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an order accepting an agreement defining the state’s commitment to stabilize and manage the Salton

On November 7, 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an order accepting an agreement defining the state’s commitment to stabilize and manage the Salton Sea to protect public health and critical Pacific flyway habitat.  Order WR 2017-0134 outlined the State Water Board’s oversight role in monitoring and ensuring progress toward the goals of the Salton Sea Management Plan (SSMP), which sets annual milestones for habitat restoration and dust-suppression projects over the next 10 years. 

2019 Technical Memorandum Regarding the Accounting of San Joaquin River Spring-run Chinook Salmon at the Central Valley Project and State Water Project Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Fish Collection Facilities

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | January 15th, 2019

2020 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | February 21st, 2020

Improving air quality and creating habitat at the Salton Sea are key priorities for Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency. The Sea’s continu

Improving air quality and creating habitat at the Salton Sea are key priorities for Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency. The Sea’s continuing decline in elevation and resulting exposure of lakebed negatively impact surrounding communities and reduce remaining habitat for fish and wildlife. The California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (together, the State Team) are focused on implementing the Salton Sea Management Program’s (SSMP’s) 10-Year Plan to improve conditions by constructing 30,000 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects around the Sea.

2021 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 31st, 2021

The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) made progress in 2020 toward reducing exposed lakebed and creating habitat at the Salton Sea (Sea). Even amid challenges posed by

The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) made progress in 2020 toward reducing exposed lakebed and creating habitat at the Salton Sea (Sea). Even amid challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, delivering projects that improve conditions for residents as well as wildlife at the Sea remains a key priority for the Newsom Administration. The SSMP worked closely with local, State, Tribal and federal partners to advance important work in 2020 and is poised to build on that momentum in 2021.

A Conservation Footprint for California Rice

California Rice Commission (CRC) | January 31st, 2025

Rice agriculture, especially winter-flooded rice fields, provides surrogate wetlands that host a diversity of species in the Central Valley. Rice fields are critical for

Rice agriculture, especially winter-flooded rice fields, provides surrogate wetlands that host a diversity of species in the Central Valley. Rice fields are critical for Giant Gartersnakes, wintering waterfowl, wintering and breeding shorebirds, Sandhill Cranes, native fishes, and many other species. However, uncertainties in climate, water availability, agricultural crop markets, and urban expansion are precipitating changes in management practices increased variability and magnitude of fallowing, and, in some cases, crop conversion. 

A decision‐support framework for dam removal planning and its application in northern California

Environmental Challenges (Elsevier) | May 27th, 2023

Dam removals are occurring more frequently with the rising cost of maintaining aging infrastructure, public safety concerns, and growing interest in river restoration. So

Dam removals are occurring more frequently with the rising cost of maintaining aging infrastructure, public safety concerns, and growing interest in river restoration. So far, most dam-removals have been unsystematic in their approach. Given the several thousand dam removals expected over the coming decades, a systematic approach to plan future dam removals holds potential for aligning and delivering multiple benefits. Despite multi-sector factors driving decision-making, most existing prioritization frameworks tend to operate within single or related disciplines. Here we present a hierarchical, multi-disciplinary decision-support framework to prioritize dam removals based on opportunistic factors (Tier 1), hydro-ecological variables (Tier 2), and socio-cultural considerations (Tier 3). This framework integrates multiple decision criteria under data availability constraints, incorporates value-driven weights, and can be applied to a portfolio of dams at various spatial scales. The final output facilitates the identification of dam removal projects that align opportunistic, environmental, and social benefits. We recommend the application of this framework as a critical first step to identifying high-priority candidates for removal, recognizing that removal decisions will ultimately require detailed feasibility studies and stakeholder engagement. To illustrate its utility, we apply this framework to California’s North Coast region and identify a small number of “good ”candidates to be considered for removal. We conclude with recommendations for filling critical knowledge gaps and advancing systematic dam removal planning in the United States and beyond.

A Delta Renewed: A Guide to Science-Based Ecological Restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2016

This report offers guidance for creating and maintaining landscapes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that support desired ecological functions, while retaining the ove

This report offers guidance for creating and maintaining landscapes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that support desired ecological functions, while retaining the overall agricultural character and water-supply service of the region. Based on extensive research into how the Delta functioned historically, how it has changed, and how it is likely to evolve, we discuss where and how to re-establish the dynamic natural processes that can sustain native Delta habitats and wildlife into the future. The approach, building on work others have piloted and championed, is to restore or emulate natural processes where possible, establish an appropriate mosaic of habitat types at the landscape scale, use multi-benefit management strategies to increase support for native species in agricultural and urban areas, and allow the Delta to adapt to future uncertainties of climate change, levee failure, and human population growth. With this approach, it will be critical to integrate ecological improvements with the human landscape: a robust agricultural economy, water infrastructure and diversions, and urbanized areas. Strategic restoration that builds on the history and ecology of the region can contribute to the strong sense of place and recreational value of the Delta.

A Marsh Transformed: Historical Ecology and Landscape Change in Suisun Marsh

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | December 30th, 2024

A Marsh Transformed: Historical Ecology and Landscape Change in Suisun Marsh is a report for managers to inform landscape-scale, collaborative adaptation planning in the

A Marsh Transformed: Historical Ecology and Landscape Change in Suisun Marsh is a report for managers to inform landscape-scale, collaborative adaptation planning in the Suisun Marsh. Using historical documents such as archival maps, photographs, and narrative accounts, SFEI pieced together a complete picture of landscape conditions in Suisun Marsh in the early 1800s, before European-American colonizers began to transform the land. A Marsh Transformed provides the historical and present-day context that can form the foundation of science-based conservation goals for Suisun. SFEI has undertaken similar efforts in San Francisco Bay and the Delta that led to collaborative regional goals for those ecosystems. SFEI’s aim is for the next stage of work in Suisun to use the content of A Marsh Transformed to run a collaborative process with resource managers, landowners, marsh visitors, and Tribes to crystallize goals for Suisun.